MAN OF STEEL by Zack Snyder

Among the hoard of superheroes that hit the big screens throughout the year, a rebirth of the Superman franchise seems suitable; in fact it had been the air for quite some time. The lukewarm 2006 Superman Returns, which followed directly in the trail of the popular Richard Donner films of the eighties which starred Christopher Reeves, was entertaining but forgettable, mostly due to the fact that it seemed to have played it safe rather than have tried to ambitiously tackle the subject in an excitingly modern way. Superman Returns was, in fact, released the year after Batman Begins, a film which not only had brought back dignity to ‘the dark knight’, but also showed that compelling character study and psychological depth could belong in action films starring grown men in costumes.

Man of Steel is very much in that vein. This approach is clear right from the title, which makes more use of the superhero’s pseudonym more than his official name, which is much campier and even down right ridiculed in the film. Of course, Superman’s ‘man of steel’ is the equivalent of Batman’s ‘dark knight’, and that in itself was reason to believe that the rebirth of the franchise would be more emotionally compelling and dark than most blockbuster counterpart, while Christopher Nolan’s involvement in the film provided a direct link to the successful rebirth of the character of Batman.

Under the direction of Zack Snyder, of 300 and Sucker Punch fame, two films more known for their special effect spectacle than compelling narrative structure and psychological profundity, Man of Steel starts off with the story of the destruction of the doomed planet of Krypton and the attempted coup by General Zod which almost immediately preceded it. In order to save the destiny of Krypton’s people Jor-El, a scientist and member of the Krypton council, decides to send his newly born son to Earth, a planet on which he believes he will survive and be able to disguise himself as a human being despite his advanced sensorial skills, with a codex to conceal and preserve the Kryptonian race.

Kal-El grows up in a farm in Kansas as Clark Kent, and slowly becomes aware of the fact that he has a greater destiny than he might have initially thought. Travelling the world to find his own identity, and saving a lot of lives in the process, he finally comes in contact with his dead father and as his destiny is revealed to him, General Zod returns to unveil his malevolent plans of Earth destruction for the re-establishment of the Kryptonian race, a plan which also requires the codex which, as it turns out, is mixed into Kal-El’s cells.

The story, as it stands, remains widely unchanged from the way in which it is traditionally known. There is also a lot of fertile ground for a more intimate approach which Snyder seems to be more than willing to welcome after the exciting, but confusing and overwhelming introduction which portrays the destruction of the planet of Krypton. Shortly after, we see in a flashback an event in young Clark Kent’s struggling to keep his senses on a leash in the classroom. We see him hence as an outsider, and the intent is to show him as an ordinary kid who is bullied by classmates because he is different. The scene is shot in the style that is not unlike the light enamoured delicacy of Terence Malick’s works, which in itself is a style that wouldn’t be identified with in a superhero movie. This is a style that re-occurs in most of the sweet natured flashback sequences scattered throughout the film.

However, for a film that tries to be compelling and intimate, it never quite distances itself from the conventional structural nature of blockbusters. Indeed, anything that goes beyond such a structure is either overlooked in the most naïve of ways or simply feels forced and unnatural. The dialogue for instance is more a liability than an asset and seems to rely mostly on clichés, particularly in the most intimate of moments. In the scene when Kal-El’s mother struggles to find the right strength to send her son to Earth, she expresses her sadness by pointing out the fact that she will never see him walk. Lines like these are banal and simply not clever enough, betraying all promises of continuation in the trend of a ‘science fiction realism’ of The Dark Knight trilogy.

The narrative too in Man of Steel is imperfect. The story often tangles and some parts even seem a little rushed. For example, the whole introductory part is a genuine portrayal of Jor-El’s heroism, something that it handles with more dignity than in Donner’s 1976 Superman. However, there is too much going on, and it’s hard to take in all the information that is being dealt with. The way the film is edited too makes the whole sequence feel rushed, and reveals an all too obvious desire to get the film started by bringing Clark Kent in the picture. This gives the whole introductory part a chaotic feel that even makes the large scale action sequences and beautiful special effect a feeling of being the usual case of blockbuster over-indulgence, and it’s something that happens very frequently throughout the film’s length.

Much in the tradition of Superman films, the supporting cast is star studded while the central hero is a star on the rise, following on the idea that whoever is cast as the man of steel has to have been born to play the role - an idea that has arguably ended up being a plague for the careers of the actors that filled the superhero’s shoes, with George Reeves and Brandon Routh in particular. Indeed, Henry Cavill makes for a great Superman embodiment, with his good looks and bodybuilder physique. Of course, neither him, nor the rest of the cast have much to work with script wise. While the casting is excellent, the energy and overall standard of the screenplay is relatively low, and the cast comprising of names like Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne become more remarkable for their presence, just like the characters themselves are more remarkable than their dialogues.

Overall, this is quite disappointing. Basically, the once promising trailer now comes across as sneakily deceitful. There was no superhero movie revolution, there was a goofy attempt perhaps, but nothing to be taken too seriously. Perhaps the real revolution is only rescheduled.